Chapter 13 

Managing the Organization – Social Norms– Sense of Belonging-IMO’s Efforts-Key to Organization Change

Shipping Culture.

An organization is a group of people to do things with same purposes. Like a single person has it ST memory, LT memory, and working memory in his sense making, so organizations also have long term memory while each man interact with others. Confirmation, stimulation and structure are not only craving in personal level, it is also craved while people trying to mix into the sociality he is in. All these uncertainty are common in our early life while we are trying to blend into our family, school and society. During these courses of actions we learned which social norms are acceptable to others. Most of the social norms are nothing bad or nothing good as long as everybody doing the same things. Different society has different social norms. If we grown up inside one particular society we will automatic accustom to it and do the things others doing, like we had discussed culture based mistake in Chapter 6. The problem happened when people from different cultures working together. 

Shipborad structure is an organization. Seafarers working in the same boat are a mimic of the world with different culture together. We learnt our job function through maritime university/collage education. Seafarer is the only career which needs international intervention; it is model courses of IMO. These model courses had defined each learning objectives in different categories important to seafarer profession. No matter how specified these objectives are; people just know and follow by their own interpretation. These subtle differences in interpretation and in the way they want to reach the same goals are the culture difference.    

If we image a cadet loaded with all these materials he supposed to know and join the vessel; what the chance he can do with it. The answer might simply conclude as Nothing. No matter how good his credits are in the university and collage. He might be a quick learner and smart pleasant personality. All the things he saw and heard are deeply influenced by the culture on board ship he is in. The culture difference of the seafarer is not from what country they are berthed. It is the first ship and shipping company he had joined which had shaped his shipping culture. These shipping cultures on board are like a single person has it personality which had its own organizational traits and LT memory.      

Native Culture

Confucius said knowledge have three sources; born with it, learn about it, trouble to get it. Born abilities are something important to our survival, no need to learn. Learnt abilities are something they had taught you but you might not interest. As a professor had admitted education is to widen your knowledge base, not for practical purpose. They teach you how to high jumping although you probably never jump knee high after your graduation. Trouble solving abilities are those things you had suffered by wanting. The stronger the suffering is, the stronger you had learnt. It is a painful journey and no one can take the place for you. You have to walk all the ways up by your own. 

What is the scale/force of this sea? What is the next stage of pounding? Will the wave wash over to bridge high? Where I can grasp the safety rail? How long these waves will last? How can I sleep in the bed with these rolling? How long this weather will last?

Well I don’t know exactly. You will have to experience by yourself to know it by the time had come. All the trouble solving abilities are very personal things, no one coming the same way as you. Actually all their advices are somewhat hollow and pointing some place else to explain things to you.

Everybody has his own trouble in his family, school and society. The way to handle these troubles is to use his LT memory in these surroundings is his Native Culture. Native Culture is the culture before he joined the maritime profession. Sometimes, this kind of Group’s LT memory we called social norms in loose term. The culture difference between each native or shipping culture may be hard to detect because all personal eventually shared same working goals like personal/ship/cargo safety and environment protection as defined by the IMO objectives. The seafarer will never say no to your request of above, but to do it in another way or to another extent or by another pace or at another time. The way you approaching them and the way you feeling about them and the way you seeing them, these make the culture difference. So it all in our perceptions of other seafarers if everything is done eventually. We should intervene only when working goals are not met.   

Social Norms

Could it possible that you give the order firmly and your subordinates did not follow it strictly? Sure, it is possible. As each person has his own surviving techniques; each society has it own social norms to regulate. Imaging an anarchic state where everybody just doing things he want; this is just impossible to happen. If any place ever exists like this, there will be an outside regime come from somewhere and took charge of its laws and orders. In our personal level, we can posses our own personalities but not against public interest. Each society is actually established with some hidden rules which they don’t want to tell or honest to you. These hidden rules can help to prevent this society break apart. For example, in the Latino countries the word “aprovechar”means “take advantage”. When I was working in one of these Latino countries, General Manager always said don’t take advantage of company System. Time, Property, or something alike…. To emphasize his point again, he will repeat it in Spanish. That’s the time I first learned this word. Language is the LT memory of a nation. This word implied the individualism is prevailing in the culture they had. The hidden rules to correct this disadvantage is more stringent authoritative in each class. Once the order is given there is very little room for any discount or error. You broke the rules you are condemned without further excuse. The desire to take advantage is equalized by the stringent punishment. Every society has this dynamic balance for health growing. If every order is followed strictly without any deviation, soon everybody will look like robot. In every civilization, innovation is always a precious asset to promote further achievements.    

Innovation cones from breaking the rules.

To overcome the culture differences, we had discussed in Chapter 3 effective communication in culture differences; in chapter 4 the most effective way of communication is to ask. It is in communication level which is one to one management. When the time comes for one to manage or lead a multinational crew, the culture differences become incomprehensible and uncontrollable. The way to contend this situation is by using new shipping culture to replace their native culture. Use the opportunity when they first join our fleet to make they have the sense of belonging for this is the Company I want to work in my sea career to achieve my personal goals. This willingness can create immense momentum to sacrifice and modify their own culture to suit in new shipping culture, like the Psychologist said “ fit their own feet into other’s shoes”. This is the key to manage or lead in multinational crews.

Sense of Belonging and Opinion Leader

A sense of belonging is the feeling of being connected and accepted within one’s family and community. It is important in healthy human development and combating behavior problems and depression. Humans have an inherent desire to belong and be an important part of something greater than themselves. The need to belong is the need to give and receive from others. Belonging is a strong and inevitable feeling that exists in human nature and can be the result of one's own choices, or the choices of others. Without belonging, one cannot identify oneself as clearly, thus having difficulties communicating with and relating to one's surroundings.

The sense of belonging can do lots of job for a group. In fact it is all about this sense to make things going inside an organization. But the sequence of this sense is always beginning from his most closed relationship to give and receive from his family, community, country and the shipping company. There are inevitable that small groups formed on board the ship due to different nationalities, provinces or personalities, even the time different joined the vessel make the familiarity different group. Each sub-group has its opinion leader who might not be the highest rank but are most respected.

Humans have the nature to know the surrounding from the nearest relationship first. It is inevitable that our management or leadership on board have to break all these small groups’ ideology difference first to reach new shipping culture. Before that, the management / leadership will need to use these small groups first, especially the small group’s opinion leader. Leading a group of 20 individuals on board is harder than leading 3 or 4 national sub-groups. In person to person communication we have many barriers in his LT memories of language, rational, professional or emotional understanding. This problem can be solved more easily with their own people to communicate the massage for us. The best choice of their own people to do the communication is their opinion leaders. The need to belong is among the most fundamental of all personality processes. Given the negative consequences of social rejection, people developed traits that function to encourage acceptance and to prevent rejection. The real help you can get is from their opinion leader in same culture background. Actually all empires are ruling in this way; Rome, China, Japan, India, France……  This strategy is also not strange to modern management which is called “Delegation”.    

All multinational company are doing the same things; through proper delegation McDonald can serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Once the mission seems impossible; now can finish by very easy concept. The greatest leader creates new leaders. Our management works will much more easier if we can concentrate our efforts in few opinion leaders who have longer working experiences in shipping and this company. 

Our behaviors define our attitude.

The need for us to give and take with other in an organization, family or group had trigged one important mental characteristic inside our self, consistency. Even the cost is painful and unbearable while we interact with other, the consistence will turn off all our rational logic and emotional suffering to do things again and again. The truth is very hard to accept and still out of our human imagination now. For my own experience in just married age 23, I just like other lucky guys overwhelmed by the happiness to have a lovely lady back home. I am more delighted to do anything she asking for to make the family going. Not before long, I found my rational side is almost shut off. Beside her order in my ear to follow up, I have retained only a little mental power to do any plan by myself. My brain is in a state of coma. I kindly ask her not to give detailed instructions any more and don’t ask me to anything just for her conveniences. I recovered very soon and lived happily ever after. Hell no. After all these years I finally learnt “the state of coma” is the connection state to highest “universe unconscious”(from ancient India religion). Imaging all those drug people consumed just for some very short interval of coma, like tobacco, wine, coffee, tea, Coke or illegal stuff like marijuana, opium, morphine, amphetamine, etc…  so the blessing of coma is not so far away if we can surrender ourself to the higher being whether it is your wife or some kind of God. The peace in mind is a blessing especially for those people have trouble sleeping. Sometimes we saw a man getting weight after marriage or happily smile without cause. He is in it.           

The reason for this blindness may be for the purpose of our social life. If everybody have a lot opinions over the things we do or organizational goals, we probably cannot go any place else. People are rationalizing animal not rational one. Our behaviors define our attitude. We find excuse for our behavior to keep life going. Once we are inside a group some part inside our brain is dying. After 6 months of marriage, I joined 2 years compulsory military service. On the way back to the military camp after each vocation I always wonder what will happen if I was on the call to charge before the enemy’s gun fire? I think I will probably just to follow the order as requested. What about the wife I just married? She is not part of the military norms and probably just be forgotten. To avoid doing this patriotic thing; the only way out is denying the military service I was in. Once I had the sense of belonging in military service, when the charging siren is sounded I will follow the social norms of soldier without fail.         

IMO measures cover all aspects of international shipping.

As a human, we are very vulnerable. If we think about our conscious ability which have capacity of 7±2 items only. We communicate with very low end verbal and sign language to each other compare with high speed of sound, light and electrical communication form. We only communicate better than those things written on the papers/books. Some people have obstacles to read and organize the meaning from the paper and some have the problem to listen and understand. How can we survive in a group to do the things they want us to do exactly? Actually we don’t. Only 25% of verbal communication contents are correctly understood, reading is better but in a very slow pace. We also need something firmed and reasonable to justify our very existence inside the group is appropriated and acceptable. In our personal level, we may make mistake by our intuition or habit without proper knowledge, attention or memory. “ To error is human”. To avoid the one man error is the responsibility of each shipboard personal to help. The willingness to help is the sense of belonging which is as powerful as we had discussed before. How can an organization avoid this kind of human error? IMO did the jobs in rational side in every aspect concerned with shipping.

IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. IMO measures cover all aspects of international shipping – including ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal – to ensure that this vital sector for remains safe, environmentally sound, energy efficient and secure. Energy efficiency, new technology and innovation, maritime education and training, maritime security, maritime traffic management and the development of the maritime infrastructure: the development and implementation, through IMO, of global standards covering these and other issues will underpin IMO's commitment to provide the institutional framework necessary for a green and sustainable global maritime transportation system.

It has always been recognized that the best way of improving safety at sea is by developing international regulations that are followed by all shipping nations and from the mid-19th century onwards a number of such treaties were adopted, but it was not until the establishment of the United Nations itself that these hopes were realized. In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing IMO.

In the attempt of STCW 1978, 2010 Manila amendment Specification of minimum standard of competence for masters and chief mates on ships of 500 gross tonnages or more; officers in charge of an engineering watch in a manned engine-room or designated duty engineers in a periodically unmanned engine-room. 

Function: Controlling the operation of the ship and care for persons on board at the management level. The emotional side of care for persons on board had address in its function. The Knowledge, understanding and proficiency (KUP) requirements are:

l   Knowledge of shipboard personnel management and training

l   A knowledge of international maritime conventions and recommendations, and related national legislation

l   Ability to apply task and workload management, including:

.1 planning and coordination

.2 personnel assignment

.3 time and resource constraints

.4 prioritization

l   Knowledge and ability to apply effective resource management:

.1 allocation, assignment, and prioritization of resources

.2 effective communication on board and ashore

.3 decisions reflect consideration of team experience

.4 assertiveness and leadership, including motivation.

.5 obtaining and maintaining situation awareness

l   Knowledge and ability to apply decision-making techniques:

.1 situation and risk assessment

.2 identify and generate options

.3 select course of action

.4 evaluation of outcome effectiveness

l   Development, implementation, and oversight of standard operating procedures

Culture have norms and pros is also vulnerable to their own handicaps.

Although the managing objectives on board are common to all ships: with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships, same as IMO , the working pace and priority are different in each national. Each national although had adopted to their own culture of norms and pros is also vulnerable to their own handicaps. Like the Costa Concordia case in 2012, the chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises blamed "human error" by the captain of the capsized cruise ship that ran aground off Italy's west coast for the accident. "The company will be close to the captain and will provide him with all the necessary assistance, but we need to acknowledge the facts and we cannot deny human error," he said. "We are working with investigators to find out precisely what went wrong aboard the Costa Concordia. While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary indications are that there may have been significant human error on the part of the ship's Master which resulted in these grave consequences. "The route of the vessel appears to have been too close to the shore, and the captain's judgment in handling the emergency appears to have not followed standard Costa procedures." 

The world was treated to an exhibition of both the best and the worst of the Italian approach to disaster. Such careless concern for the rules of safety is tragically common, albeit usually on much smaller scales. "There is a permissive interpretation of the rules concerning safety," says Gianfranco Pasquino, professor of political science at the University of Bologna. "We know that some of the rules are perhaps irrational. Some cannot be implemented. And others have loopholes, here and there. And so we rely on our own sometimes flawed judgment to decide what can and should be done." Thus, construction workers climb scaffolding with their helmets hanging from their belts; nobody worries too much if a fire extinguisher or first-aid kit has gone missing; and many people treat seatbelts as optional, especially for small children. In a country where laws and standards stack up like overlapping archaeological sediment, it's often easier to beg leniency than to ensure compliance. "The sanctions are missing," says Pasquino. "There are few chances that you will be punished, unless a serious incident [like the crash of the Costa Concordia] takes place."

So what is the good side to all of this? While passengers on the ship may have experienced the worst of Italian disaster response, what waited for them onshore was among its best. Citizens of the tiny island greeted the bedraggled evacuees with donated clothes and blankets. Others sailed forth on small boats to rescue passengers who had yet to arrive. And still more opened their homes to those who had nowhere to stay. "There was a lot of support from the Italians onshore," says Pasquino. "This is the way Italy works. When the rules and standards fail, we have to make up with our personal generosity." Quoted from TIME Jan.17,2012 The Sinking of the Costa Concordia and Italy's Rules of Safety.

Again we see each culture has its own remedy to bond it together. But it is hard to define what behavior had made this incident, “laws and standards stack up like overlapping archaeological sediment” or " it's often easier to beg leniency than to ensure compliance.“.  Another reading of Italian Law as : The Italian legal system is inordinately complicated and most lawyers ( avvocato) and judges ( giudici) are baffled by the conflicts between different laws, many dating back centuries, and EU directives serve to complicate matters further. There are literally thousands of laws, most of which are ignored, and newcomers must learn where to draw the line between laws that are enforced and those that aren’t or are only weakly enforced. It sometimes appears that there’s one law for foreigners and another for Italians, and fines ( multe) are commonplace.” From www.justlanded.com.

Not comply or easier to beg leniency than to ensure compliance which are the behaviors to adapt to complicated law and standards. 

Policy and related SOP are always right in personal, company and international level. All requirements related to resource management, leadership, teamwork and managerial skills for deck and engine and operational and management level are covered by STCW 2010 convention. The problems are "We have a lot of formal standards," "But, when it comes to the ground, they often aren't observed." 

Report on M.V. Costa Concordia 

To err is human. We can rational regulate and emotional care to improve the team and individual performances. When the error is culture based there is no cue. Like the captain of Costa Concordia change the deep water route by his discretion, everybody knows it in bridge but no one asserted. The analysis of this casualty briefly puts in evidence the following results:

a. The navigation phases before the impact are to be considered as a crucial aspect, because they relate with the causes originating the accident. In particular, the focus is on the behaviour of the Master and his decision to make that hazardous passage in shallow waters. The computer simulation somewhat confirmed delays in the ship’s manoeuvring in that particular circumstance. In this respect, the following critical points can be preliminarily indicated as contributing factors to the accident:

- shifting from a perpendicular to a parallel course extremely close to the coast by intervening softly for accomplishing a smooth and broad turn;

- instead of choosing, as reference point for turning, the most extreme landmark (Scole reef, close to Giglio town lights) the ship proceeded toward the inner coastline (Punta del Faro, southern and almost uninhabited area, with scarce illumination);

- keeping a high speed (16 kts) in night conditions is too close to the shore line (breakers/reef);

- using an inappropriate cartography, i.e. use of Italian Hydrographical Institute. chart nr. 6 (1/100.000 size scale), instead of at least nr. 122 (1/50.000 size scale) and failing to use nautical publications;

- handover between the Master and the Chief Mate did not concretely occur;

- bridge (full closed with glasses) did not allow verifying, physically outside, a clear outlook in nighttime (which instead could have made easier the Master eyes adaptation towards the dark scenario).

- Master’s inattention/distraction due to the presence of persons extraneous to Bridge watch and a phone call not related to the navigation operations;

- Master’s orders to the helmsman aimed at providing the compass course to be followed instead of the rudder angle.

- Bridge Team, although more than suitable in terms of number of crewmembers, not paying the required attention (e.g. ship steering, acquisition of the ship position, lookout);

- Master’s arbitrary attitude in reviewing the initial navigation plan (making it quite hazardous in including a passage 0,5 mile off the coast by using an inappropriate nautical chart), disregarding to properly consider the distance from the coast and not relying on the support of the Bridge Team;

- overall passive attitude of the Bridge Staff. Nobody seemed to have urged the Master to accelerate the turn or to give warning on the looming danger.

Therefore the accident may lead to an overall discussion on the adequacy, in terms of organization and roles of Bridge Teams.(quoted from MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURES AND TRANSPORTS Report on the safety technical investigation)

It is obvious that something is beyond the legislations and IMO international conventions like SOLAS, STCW, MARPOL, ISM code…can be governed. Like a man cannot help himself in his way of LT memory reaction / intuition (his habits) to the things happened around him; inside an organization the team / group cannot avoid the culture influences on their reactions to something obvious against the legislations and conventions. 

In this case, 1^st deck officer called the Captain “cry” while he stepped in the bridge and leaned the course had changed to 279⁰(T). When Captain arrived bridge at 21:34:36 hours, he speaks of nothing. At 21 36 02 the 1st Deck Officer ordered the helmsman to alter course 285 and 290 degrees after about 1 minute. The final course change should be 339⁰(T) from 279⁰(T). The rate of turning will be 60 degree in 4 minutes (from the chart above 2136 to 2140) which equals to 15 degrees per minute. In a standard of a cruiser vessel is too fast but acceptable. 1st Deck Officer did not continue his course altering maneuvering by master order. He speaks of nothing again.            

The key to organazation change : Culture

What is culture? Culture is like the water to the fish or the air to the man. The last thing fish knows is the water. It is so closely related to our everyday life we will not challenge or question it’s correctness any more. It is our group LT memory which deeply enrooted in our subconscious. We automatically apply it to everything we see and hear and react. It caused us blind to the world we are living and set the standards for us to follow. We just lived happily inside our own culture. Period. 

Culture may be out of physiological need for survival like the air/food/water or for higher purposes like Maslow's hierarchy such as; "safety", "belongingness" and "love", "esteem", "self-actualization" and "self-transcendence". The way to get what we need inside an organization is our culture. The culture base are more than IMO had defined as “An organization with a "safety culture" is one that gives appropriate priority to safety and realises that safety has to be managed like other areas of the business.  For the shipping industry, it is in the professionalism of seafarers that the safety culture must take root.”

“That culture is more than merely avoiding accidents or even reducing the number of accidents, although these are likely to be the most apparent measures of success.  In terms of shipboard operations, it is to do the right thing at the right time in response to normal and emergency situations.  The quality and effectiveness of that training will play a significant part in determining the attitude and performance - the professionalism - the seafarer will subsequently demonstrate in his, or her, work.  And the attitude adopted will, in turn, be shaped to a large degree by the 'culture' of the shipping company.

The key to achieving that safety culture is in:

•recognising that accidents are preventable through following correct procedures and established best practice;

•constantly thinking safety; and

•seeking continuous improvement.

It is relatively unusual for new types of accidents to occur on board and many of those that continue to occur are due to unsafe acts by seafarers.” (quoted form IMO web-site safety culture).

Safety is the working goal in all organizations, not exception in shipping company, for it concerned of our immediate survival need. However the safety can be compromised if it meets higher hierarchy of need. For example, Chinese have the culture of personal esteem. Even the mistake is obvious nobody will point out directly to you. “Let the other person save face.” “Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say "You're Wrong." These way of thinking become part of our culture. So it is easily to understand why with all the efforts paid by IMO, the safety culture is still failed. What the STCW Knowledge, understanding and proficiency (KUP) requirements in effective resource management has a remedy for this culture based error: assertiveness and leadership, including motivation.

Assertiveness allows us to communicate our thoughts, beliefs, opinions and emotions in a positive and confident way - being neither passive nor aggressive. Assertiveness is often linked to self-esteem. While other’s self-esteem is higher than yours, your assertiveness is compromised again. If our assertiveness need to achieve the stage of“"a form of behavior characterized by a confident declaration or affirmation of a statement without need of proof” in an organization, we need something more than just training. It is a interaction between ourself and the culture we are in. Sometimes or most of the time, we are powerless before our native culture. We need a new shipping culture at large and a good culture inside the company we are in for the beginning. What are the traits of this new culture will be discussed in Part three. 

Either way, it exerts powerful influences on decision making – usually by emphasizing efficiency over thoroughness. Here are five common mechanisms.